33rd Arthur C. Clarke Awards won by Tade Thompson’s Rosewater.
Rosewater by Tade Thompson (published by Orbit) is the 33rd winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the UK prize for science fiction literature. Thompson – a psychiatrist by trade – was born in London to Yoruba parents and he grew up in Nigeria.
Rosewater explores life in Nigeria after a successful alien invasion’s changed our world, and has been described as African cyberpunk.
Dr Andrew M Butler, Chair of Judges, told SFcrowsnest, “Alien invasion is always a political subject, and Tade Thompson’s debut novel Rosewater expertly explores the nature of the alien, global power structures and pervasive technologies with a winning combination of science fictional invention, gritty plotting and sly wit. I would like to pay tribute to our judges for this year, it was an incredibly close but good-natured argument over which novel would triumph.”
The winner was announced on the evening of Wednesday 17th July at a ceremony held at the Foyles flagship bookshop on Charing Cross Road, London, and presented in front of an audience of science fiction writers, publishers and fans.
Tade Thompson receives a trophy in the form of a commemorative engraved bookend and prize money of £2019.00.
